August 1998 Field Journal

8.6 [SFBirds] Common Moorhen at South Lake Merced
The Common Moorhen was still running around and swimming at the beach on the south side of the west end of the concrete bridge. I watched it for a few minutes before it disappeared into the reeds nearest the beach. I have to admit, though, that I am bit confused:

- The bird doesn't appear to be capable of flight. Several times, it ran across the beach, spreading only vestigial wings. This tends to suggest it was born here, which would be remarkable given the amount of time Dan spends there. If it was born here as would seem to be the only plausible explanation, where are the parents? Have left in migration already?
- The bird appears to be quite young, which would tend to indicate that it was born relatively recently. Wouldn't we expect it to breed around the same time as other birds such as Pied-Billed Grebe and American Coot? Or do Common Moorhens attempt to breed more than once, perhaps if the first brood is unsuccessful?
- When was the last confirmed breeding in the city?

I find this very odd...

8.8 - 16 Souteastern Arizona
Here are some highlights of my recent trip to Southeastern Arizona. Hugh joined us for the first four days and my good friend from Seattle Steve Gerstle joined me for the entire trip.

8.8.98
Steve, Hugh and I were scheduled all on the same flight out of LA to Tucson. We all arrived on separate flights due to numerous screw ups from the "Friendly Skies". Hugh and I arrive no less than 3 hours late, thus vaporizing most of Saturday. Late that afternoon, we head out to San Xavier Mission and are immediately stumped by a couple of thrashers. After much hue (Hugh? :-) and cry, we decided that they are immature CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS, though they look quite a bit different from the adult Curve-billed Thrasher that we finall find. Also present is a PYRRHULOXIA, GILA WOODPECKERS, ABERT'S TOWHEE, VERDIN. At dusk, LESSER NIGHTHAWKS are easy to find and we find a BURROWING OWL standing on the ramada (no, not a hotel) west of the mission.

8.9.98
We arise early and head for the Desert Museum, part of Saguaro National Monument. We are in time for the morning chorus; too bad we can't identify most of the calls we hear. Birding in and around the museum is a bit slow; apart from the expected GILDED FLICKER, PHAINOPEPLA, GREATER ROADRUNNER, only a VARIED BUNTING which Hugh rustles up is notable. However, there is a CANVASBACK and an AMERICAN COOT in one of the ponds in the museum.

On the way back from the museum, we stop at Shannon-Broadway Desert, a melifluous name for the junction of these two unremarkable streets. Walking about 20 yards from the junction, the tape produces a RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW that sits up nicely for close to a minute, allowing great and detailed looks of the bird.

At this point, we decide to head up the Santa Catalina Highway to find some of the specialties of this area. First stop is Molino Basin, where we immediately find some jays. We struggle to get good looks at the throats and the behavior and vocalizations are definitely different from Western Scrub-Jay, but we are confused by the grey mantle on most of the birds. It is only after most of the trip passes and we get good looks at Mexican Jay that we realize that Mexican Jay (young birds? AZ only?) can also have gray backs. However, the absence of a white throat patch, the flocking behavior and unusual vocalization and a few birds with all blue mantles finally convince us. A flock of BRIDLED TITMICE amuse us with their chicadee-like calls and I identify a BELL'S VIREO by it's distinctive vocalization.

In Bear Canyon, we finally hit on some of the warbler specialties. YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS are everywhere, and we find a small mixed warbler flock with PAINTED REDSTART, RED-FACED WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER and PAINTED REDSTART. We notice a song of a CASSIN'S VIREO, but slightly slower and more buzzy. After much work, we finally get good looks on the steep side-slope of a PLUMBEOUS VIREO. GREATER PEWEE is ubiquitous.

At Rose Canyon, we brave the weekend crowd and find a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK in the campground. While this may not seem particularly exciting, Sharp-shinned Hawk is in fact rare in AZ during this time of year. A surprising pick up is WESTERN BLUEBIRD, well above the altitude one would expect in CA. High the in the conifers, we find GRACE'S WARBLER and struggle for a bit but finally get good looks at OLIVE WARBLER.

At Mt. Lemmon proper, we find MOUNTAIN CHICADEE, WARBLING VIREO, a somewhat unusual TOWNSEND'S WARBLER and a hear-only CORDILLERAN (WESTERN) FLYCATCHER.

8.10.98
We arise at 5:00 and head up towards Madera Canyon. We bypass Florida Wash and stop at the first road beyond the wash. There, CASSIN'S and BOTTERI'S SPARROWS are singing like crazy. With a bit of work, we finally get scope looks at both species. While the song and behavior of the two are quite different, the AZ race of Botteri's Sparrow is discernibly darker than Cassin's Sparrow, making identification of perched birds easier than one might think.

We returned to Florida Wash and continue to find WESTERN KINGBIRDS instead of the more expected CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS. Hugh finds another VARIED BUNTING just as we enter the wash and we also get CRISSAL THRASHER. Variety is quite good and we find HEPATIC TANAGER, WESTERN TANAGER and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER. Then we find another myiarchus flycatcher which we initially think to be Ash-throated Flycatcher. However, I note the dark rectrices and Hugh notes the small size and we have a somewhat surprising DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER. Our streak with flycatchers continues as we find an empidonax flycatcher. After good looks and much discussion, we agree upon GRAY FLYCATCHER, a common if perhaps somewhat early migrant (though others have been reported already this year). Finally, we find a small grayish warbler which is notable in that it has no tail feathers whatsoever and only the palest buff on the undertail coverts. It is only after we see a similar bird at the next stop that we are firmly convinced that this is a LUCY'S WARBLER.

Up at Santa Rita Lodge, there are several BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRDS and a SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER calls from the canyon behind the lodge. At the end of the road, we hike briefly up one of the trails in the mid-day heat. Nothing much is moving, so we return to the car for lunch. A the base of the trail, I notice something moving in the canyon immediately below the road. We scurry down the slope for great looks at a pair of ARIZONA WOODPECKERS. Then, an unearthly pair of hoarse cro-ahs start coming up the canyon towards us. I ask why these aren't Trogon calls and, of course, they are. It sounds like one is perched directly above us in the mid-day sun and it is a male ELEGANT TROGON, which Hugh points out just as it starts to fly away.

We then attempt to hike up the Jospehine trail and I fare rather badly in the mid-day heat, altitude and overloaded photo vest. We retreat to the find a room in Green Valley and relax from the heat in air conditioned splendor. Later that afternoon, we head up Box Canyon and find a BELL'S VIREO at a nest. This is a very unusual bird in that it showed few of the field marks of an adult bird, yet it's vocalization was unmistakeable Bell's Vireo. The grasslands yield a good-sized flock of LARK BUNTINGS and we finally find a CASSIN'S KINGBIRD (though the rest of the trip would be lousy with them). At dusk, we return to the Santa Rita Lodge where I pick up a MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD just as light fails.

Our owling was less than stellar; most had ceased calling, probably weeks ago. In lower Madera Canyon, someone had found a WESTERN SCREECH-OWL and had it in a spotlight, for everyone to see. Well, everyone that's capable of seeing rather immobile owls immediately behind branches ("it's right behind the ell"), which didn't include me. Such is life...

8.11.98
Everyone knew this was going to be a gnarly day, particularly when the alarm went off at 3:00. Our destination was California Gulch, 70 miles south-east of where we stayed, the last portion on "roads" of atrocious quality. For those of you who haven't traveled to AZ, rural (dirt) roads come in three flavors, denoted by two, three and four digits, respectively. Two digit roads are generally fine, though you might need high-clearance in portions or for fording streams. Three digit roads are roads which appear to be utterly unmaintained and unimproved, replete with serious fords, huge ruts and boulders strewn across the road. 4WD and high-clearance is a requirement, and driving must be done with great care (and Hugh performed admirably during this stretch). I only saw one four digit road; were I hiking it would be a trail that I would be worried about losing my way and I would want stiff, heavy hiking boots for fear of turning my ankle.

California Gulch is reached by almost ten miles on a three digit road. I'm sure glad that we had a rental SUV; we wouldn't have made it otherwise. En route, we find a few POORWILLS sitting on the road in the pre-dawn darkness. Near the dam in the gulch, I recognize the call of a NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, which we chase and all get good looks at. Between the first and second stream crossings in the gulch, we find VERMILLION FLYCATCHER and a nice alternate plumage male LESSER GOLDFINCH with _pale legs_! A nice find right at the first stream crossing is a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.

However, we were not there for any of these birds. We had been taping for FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW and they were not singing. This was going to be a project. Fortunately, we had run into a couple of guys last night in Madera Canyon, John and Jason from Pennsylvania, and we had five sets of eyes looking for the bird. After a couple of hours, John finds a mixed flock of sparrows and believes that he saw a Five-striped Sparrow in the mixed flock. Having nothing better to do, we continue looking in the area around where John had his sighting. Shortly thereafter, Steve notices an "unusual" TURKEY VULTURE; of course, it's a ZONE-TAILED HAWK. Then he continues a little farther up the hill and finds the sparrow flock again.

FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW he calls to me and I hasten my pace in the heat up the hill. I find the flock and get a look at a couple of the birds. Indeed, there is a Black-throated Sparrow which doesn't look right, either for adult, immature or in-between plumage. I'm sure it's Five-striped Sparrow, but need a better look for confirmation. Hugh is still down the hill a bit and I hold up five fingers when I catch his eye. He quickens his pace and joins us.

We chase the flock and I finally get a decent look at an adult Five-striped Sparrow sparrow before it disappears into the next bush up the hill. Then, something very strange happens. We actually (temporarily) stop looking for Five-striped Sparrow because a GILA MONSTER appears!!! I get several slides of the reptile before it scurries under cover. I start to wonder about the sanity of our pals from Pennsylvania when one of them tries to (gently) urge the reptile out from it's hiding place. After the diversion, we rejoin the hunt, but not everyone gets fully satisfactory views of the sparrow.

On the way back to Tucson, Steve finds us a SWAINSON'S HAWK on a pole next to the road and a pond near the lunch spot yields a BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK. That afternoon, we drive back to Nogales and are treated to an amazing thunderstorm where the road simply disappears from view due to the torrential rain.

8.12.98
This morning, we head for the Kino Springs Golf Course. At the first pond, Steve finds the GREEN KINGFISHER perched at the eastern edge of the first pond. We add to our warbler list with YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and there are at least a couple of TROPICAL KINGBIRDS hanging around at the pond nearest the clubhouse.

At the Patagonia Roadside Rest, THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS can't be missed and we find a VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD perched just on the other side of the fence. One of the leaders for the tour group points out "the spot" for ROSE-THROATED BECARD, and though we hear them, they are not obviously around the nest. After waiting for about 40 minutes, a male and female show up and start taking material from their "old" nest to build a newer nest. It certainly appeared that they were trying to nest again. At the Patagonia-Sonoita Preserve, we add SUMMER TANAGER to our list.

We tire of the midday heat and retire to the shade at the Paton's feeders in Patagonia. The feeders are eye candy for visiting birders; the level of activity is truly hard to imagine unless you've experienced it. We wait patiently and another VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD shows up at the feeders, but the sheer numbers of birds in at the feeders is mind boggling.

After a relaxing lunch in a public park in Sonoita, we head for Sierra Vista and the Huachucas. Along the way, we take a detour along Parker Lake Road, on a whim that we might find a GRASHOPPER SPARROW. The first bird on the barbed wire fence is (darn) a CASSIN'S SPARROW, but the second is, indeed, a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. Unfortunately, it is camera shy and departs prior to getting my camera out.

We grap a room in Sierra Vista (what a dump!) and head out. First stop is the Beatty's feeders in Miller Canyon. This is a relatively new spot and boy, do they have a show! In less that an hour, we get eight (8) species of humminbirds, including BROAD-TAILED, Bluethroat-THROATED, MAGNIFICIENT and WHITE-EARED HUMMINGBIRDS! And the level of activity is comparable to the Paton's feeders! At one point, we have three different species including White-eared Hummingbird sitting on a single feeder. We're sitting there testing our identification capabilities until we realize the British gentleman sitting next to us is Stuart Healy. Fortunately, we're correct most of the time. :-)

8.13.98
We awake and head up Sawmill Canyon. First stop is the campground and SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS are omnipresent in a magnificent Arizona Sycamore. PAINTED REDSTARTS and GREATER PEWEES are easy to find and, further up the canyon, we find a VIRGINIA'S WARBLER and hear DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS. High in the pines, a GRACE'S WARBLER is found. We continue further up the trail and hear a soft, liquid che-lip that we can't identify. Fortunately, the bird is accommodating; it is one of a loose flock of BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS. We get nice long looks at this lovely, delicate bird. Overhead, a large falcon cruises by with fast wingbeats; we manage to convince ourselves it's a PEREGRINE FALCON. Heading down the trail, we're sated, but a female ELEGANT TROGON is perched near eye level right along the trail!

From there, we head to Scheelite Canyon, interested in trying for SPOTTED OWL. Stuart had mentioned that he had trouble finding them, and after I returned, I found out why. It turns out our lovely NFWS is trapping them (with nets!) and trying to affix radio transmitters. No wonder they are hard to find this year! We don't succeed (but neither does the tour group who seems to be shadowing our itinerary), but do get great ground-level looks at VIRGINIA'S WARBLER and PAINTED REDSTART at the small ponds roughly 1/2 mile up the trail. A CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER is heard but not seen. At the base of the canyon, a Coati is seen, and it looks quite a bit wilder than the mother and four pups seen under a car in the Ramsey Canyon parking lot.

Ramsey Canyon is a bit of a letdown; we do not see the BERYLLINE HUMMINGBIRD. We don't rue our luck; the bird is seen for seconds only in the afternoon while we are there by someone who has waited three hours at the feeder. The drive to Douglas is marked only by a single SWAINSON'S HAWK.

8.14.98
We decide to eschew Guadalupe Canyon in lieu of heading up in the Chiricahaus. En route, we enjoy the vistas and finally pick up BLACK VULTURE. At Stateline Road, we again pick up the magic tour group. We stay a bit back from them and are fortunate, a thrasher hops up onto the barbed wire, perfectly front-lit in the early morning sun. We jump out of the car and get good looks at a (real) BENDIRE'S THRASHER. The very short, flat bill, distinctive marking on the upper breast, pale eye, rufous undertail coverts and light grey upper parts are quite distinctive when seen in good light on an adult bird.

We head up past Portal and are amazed by the canyon walls of the Chiricahuas. In Cave Creek Canyon, SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS are squeaking away and we hear but do not see more DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS. A GOLDEN EAGLE graces the majestic canyon with its presence. Not much of note is found heading up, but at Rustler-Barfoot Junction, we run into Stuart again and exchange pleasantries. He's looking for OLIVE WARBLER, but we haven't yet seen them in the Chiricahaus. It's too bad, because they are right there at the junction, the tour group (remember them?) arrives and the leaders call a pair out for the group. As well, there's a ZONE-TAILED HAWK cruising around.

In Rustler Park, we walk the road and YELLOW-EYED JUNCOES are everywhere. Finally, I spot a MEXICAN CHICADEE up in some confiers. After some walking, we get good, eye-level views of Mexican Chickadee and other montance species including GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH and HAIRY WOODPECKER.

Lodging in the Chiricahaus is problematic in that no one lives around there. :-) There's the George Walker House in Paradise, but most of the rest of the lodging is in Portal. We were concerned about our chances since this was Friday night, but we inquired at the Portal Store around noon and they had rooms still available. We booked one and it was quite nicely appointed if modestly constructed. We didn't even need to run the AC that night!

Back down in Portal, we check out the Spofford's feeders and they are pretty slow. In particular, there's no sign of the LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRD that had been reported there. Perhaps of more interest is that we did better with hummingbirds by simply walking the roads of Portal, finding a perched adult male Bluethroat-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD.

We continue our less-than-stellar nightbirding that evening, but can only find a WESTERN SCREECH-OWL in South Fork. We decide to press fatigue and head all the way up to Onion Saddle and are rewarded (finally!) with a definitive calling WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL.

8.15.98
We head down to Big Thicket and find a VIRGINIA'S WARBLER and some WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS, a nice contrast to all of the MEJAs that we had seen. At some feeders in the area, we only find BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD before a (young?) COOPER'S HAWK comes crashing through the area like a bull in china shop. We leave shortly thereafter amusing ourselves with good looks at PYRRHULOXIA.

At the George Walker House in Paradise (it's pretty close to paradise there), we don't manage to find JUNIPER TITMOUSE, but do find PINE SISKIN, a seemingly odd bird for that time of year.

We brave the Willcox Sewage Ponds in mid-day heat and stumble for a bit before we identify LEAST SANDPIPER (hey, we were doing tweety birds for the better part of a week! :-) There are a few other birds of interest there, including WHITE-FACED IBIS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, LONG-BILLED CURLEW and NORTHERN HARRIER. We add YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD at the Golf Course nearby.

We take the scenic route from there back to I10 and Steve finds a dark hawk perched on a power pole. It's facing us and right next to the pole itself, so we can't see the wing coverts, but we can just make out the rufous leg feathers. We hop back into the car and move around the behind the bird and finally get a look at the rufous wing coverts of our HARRIS' HAWK. Another SWAINSON'S HAWK is also found before getting to I10.

We drive for a bit and then decide to head up to Aravaipa Canyon in search of GRAY HAWK (though we may well have heard one at Kino Springs). We get to Dudleyville and then discover we have a problem. Not only is that part of Arizona butt ugly and severely depressed, there are also no motels. We decide to return to Tucson and bird elsewhere tomorrow. On the way, we decide to visit Aravaipa Canyon for night birding. We think we have an ELF OWL appearing out of a saguaro at dusk, but it's merely an AMERICAN KESTREL imitating Elf Owl behavior. LESSER NIGHTHAWK and GREAT HORNED OWL is all that we can roust up.

8.16.98
We decide to finish with a flourish at Madera Canyon. Florida Wash is suprisingly quiet, even though we are there even earlier than we were during our previous visit. In the canyon, we decide to rehike the Josephine Trail and are rewarded with nice looks at RED-FACED WARBLER before the rain sets in. Try as we might, we could not get any looks at the DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS in the canyon. Back at the Santa Rita Lodge, I'm watching hummers when I hear a strangely familiar song. I look at Steve and mention EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE and then try to locate the songster. Alas, the bird was downslope from the lodge and it did not sing again while we were there.

We return to Tucson and have a nice lunch and watch sports car racing and golf before getting on the plane.

Trip list ("good" birds may appear more than once):
8.8.98
Tucson International
Great-tailed Grackle
House Finch
European Starling
Rock Dove

San Xavier Mission
Curve-billed Thrasher
Pyrrhuloxia
Sage Sparrow
Gambel's Quail
Mourning Dove
White-winged Dove
Northern Mockingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Canyon Towhee
Lesser Nighthawk
Burrowing Owl
Gila Woodpecker
Verdin
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Cactus Wren
Hooded Oriole
Lark Sparrow
Abert's Towhee

8.9
Desert Museum
Purple Martin
Gilded Flicker
Red-tailed Hawk
House Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Phainopepla
Black-headed Grosbeak
Canyon Wren
Greater Roadrunner
Cactus Wren
Varied Bunting
Black-headed Grosbeak
Western Kingbird
Canvasback
American Coot
Bullock's Oriole
Killdeer
Black-chinned Hummingbird

Shannon-Broadway Desert
Rufous-winged Sparrow

Molino Basin
Black Phoebe
Common Raven
Mexican Jay
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Bell's Vireo
Bewick's Wren
Bridled Titmouse

Bear Canyon
Northern Flicker
Yellow-eyed Junco
Spotted Towhee
Acorn Woodpecker
Mexican Jay

Campground
Greater Pewee
Hutton's Vireo
Grace's Warbler
Red-faced Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Painted Redstart
Plumbeous Vireo
Rose Canyon
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Western Bluebird
Grace's Warbler
Olive Warbler
Greater Pewee
Mexican Jay

Mt. Lemmon
Mountain Chickadee
Warbling Vireo
Townsend's Warbler
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Red-breasted Nuthatch

8.10
Entrance to Madera
Cassin's Sparrow
Botteri's Sparrow

Florida Wash
Western Kingbird
Bell's Vireo
Varied Bunting
Crissal Thrasher
Hepatic Tanager
House Wren
Western Tanager
Dusky Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Lucy's Warbler

Proctor Road
Blue Grosbeak
Lucy's Warbler
Hepatic Tanager

Santa Rita Lodge
Anna's Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
End on the road/Madera Canyoa
Elegant Trogon
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Arizona Woodpecker

Josephine Trail
Hutton's Vireo
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Painted Redstart
Greater Pewee
Western Wood-Pewee
Black-throated Gray Warbler

Box Canyon
Bell's Vireo (nest)
Lark Bunting
Cassin's Sparrow
Botteri's Sparrow
Western Meadowlark
Cassin's Kingbird

Santa Rita Feeders
Magnificent Hummingbird

Lower Madera Canyon
Western Screech-Owl

8.11
California Gulch
Common Poorwill
Cassin's Kingbird
Common Ground-Dove
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Vermilion Flycatcher
Lesser Goldfinch
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Canyon Wren
Black-throated Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Zone-tailed Hawk
Solitary Sandpiper
Five-striped Sparrow

Sycamore Canyon
Yellow Warbler

Amado
Swainson's Hawk
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

8.12
Kino Springs
Green Kingfisher
Common Yellowthroat
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Tropical Kingbird
Lucy's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Cassin's Sparrow
Northern Shoveler
Cliff Swallow
Great-tailed Grackle
Vermilion Flycatcher
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Song Sparrow

Patagonia Roadside Rest
Thick-billed Kingbird
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Canyon Wren
Rose-throated Becard
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Patagonia Preserve
Summer Tanager
Great Blue Heron
Wilson's Warbler (SAG)
Thick-billed Kingbird
Western Wood-Pewee

Paton's
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird

Parker Lake Road
Grasshopper Sparrow
Cassin's Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark

Miller Canyon
Anna's Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
White-eared Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Magnificent Hummingbird

8.13
Sawmill Canyon
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Painted Redstart
Greater Pewee
Virginia's Warbler
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Grace's Warbler
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Buff-breasted Flycatcher
Peregrine Falcon
Elegant Trogon

Scheelite Canyon
Virginia's Warbler
Red-faced Warbler
Painted Redstart
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Rufous Hummingbird
Wilson's Warbler
Coati

Ramsey Canyon
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Coati + 4 young
Magnificent Hummingbird

Hwy. 80 Grasslands
Swainson's Hawk

8.14
Hwy. 80 east of Chiricahuas
Black Vulture

Stateline Road
Bendire's Thrasher

Cave Creek Canyon
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Grace's Warbler
Painted Redstart
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Hutton's Vireo
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Golden Eagle

Rustler-Barfoot Junction
Zone-tailed Hawk
Hairy Woodpecker
Olive Warbler
Steller's Jay
Rustler Park
Yellow-eyed Junco
Pygmy Nuthatch
Hairy Woodpecker
White-breasted Nuthatch
Mexican Chickadee
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush

Spofford's
Gambel's Quail
Blue-throated Hummingbird

Portal
Pine Siskin
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Black Vulture
Bell's Vireo
South Fork
Western Screech-Owl
Onion Saddle
Whiskered Screech-Owl

8.15
Big Thicket
Virginia's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Bell's Vireo
Western Scrub-Jay
Violet-green Swallow

Big Thicket Feeders
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Cooper's Hawk
Gambel's Quail
Pyrrhuloxia

Portal-Paradise Road
Rufous Hummingbird

George Walker House
Magnificent Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Pine Siskin
Cooper's Hawk

Willcox Sewage Ponds
White-faced Ibis
American Avocet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Long-billed Curlew
Wilson's Phalarope
Northern Harrier
Mallard
American Coot

Willcox Golf Course
Yellow-headed Blackbird

Hwy. 191 south of I10
Harris's Hawk
Swainson's Hawk

Aravaipa Canyon
Lesser Nighthawk
Great Horned Owl

8.16
Madera Canyon
Red-faced Warbler
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee

8.21 [SFBirds] Lark Sparrow at Julius Kahn Park
Josiah reported on the Bird Box today a LARK SPARROW at Julius Kahn
Playground at the lower baseball diamond. JK Playground is at the corner of West
Pacific Ave. and Spruce Street.

8.24 [SFBirds] More changes to the city list
Alan hasn't responded yet, but Debbie Shearwater rated yesterday's boat trip a 9 yesterday, and I'd be hard pressed to disagree. The only species I managed to add to my big year list was PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER that followed the boat most of the way back to Sausalito. A CASSIN'S AUKLET was seen well inside city waters but I did not see it. However, there were many changes/updates to "the" SF list. No doubt this is sour grapes, but I don't quite understand why I can add the following birds to my SF list but not my big year list.

SOUTH POLAR SKUA can be taken off the hypothetical list. Debbie ID'd the bird, with Jim Danzenbaker and Alan following shortly thereafter. I managed to see the bird and agree with the ID, but don't ask for documentation from me. :-| This may be the first county record. LONG-TAILED JAEGER needs to be put on the list. A spectacular, adult breeding plumage bird with _full streamers_ flew almost directly over the boat. Several breeding plumaged TUFTED PUFFINS flew directly over the boat near SE Farallon Island.

Other bird highlights include BLACK STORM PETREL (also not seen by me), PARASITIC and POMARINE JAEGERS, RHINOCEROUS AUKLET, BULLER'S SHEARWATER, SABINE'S GULL, RED and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, ARCTIC TERN (also flying almost directly over the boat).

Cetaceous highlights include at least two BLUE WHALES, one seen at the surface showing it's entire back and at least two diving showing their enormous blue flukes as they dove. HUMBACK WHALES were easy see. Other mammal species include CALIFORNIA and STELLER'S SEA LIONS, HARBOR PORPOISE, HARBOR SEAL and a few others I'm sure I left out.

Seas were fairly rough due to a stiff NW west offshore, though I managed to get all the way to the Farallons before I got sick. For those of you who haven't been on a boat with me, this is an accomplishment.

8.24 Re: More changes to the city list
Both were well offshore. I must confess that having a list which includes
pelagic birds but ignores pelagic sightings doesn't make much sense to me.
I'm sure there's no Monterey nor Sonoma list without birds seen only in the
pelagic environment. Perhaps we should abandon the whole concept and just keep a
county list like the rest of CA. Vagrants which have only been seen SE Farallon
island can be so denoted and there surely should be separate distribution bar
graphs for the mainland and SE Farallon Island.

[He] wrote:
>
> Mark,
> Sounds like a great trip.
> Where were the LT Jaegar and South Polar Skua and why would they be on the
> city list as opposed to the county which does have both.

8.25 [SFBirds] Northern Waterthrush at Middle Lake
Kevin McKerrigan just called in a NOWA at the SE corner of Middle Lake.

8.25 [SFBirds] Re: Northern Waterthrush at Middle Lake
Still present this evening, right at where the little creek drains into
Middle Lake.

8.29 [SFBirds] Re: Firsts
Luke Cole wrote:
>
> At 02:17 PM 8/28/98 EDT, EnviroLaw@aol.com wrote:
> >>
> >What about hummers, y'all? I had not seen an Allen's at my feeders for
at
> >least two weeks, then had an immature-type selasphorus show up Monday,
very
> >briefly. Possible migrant Rufous? When did the Allen's leave, or have
they?
> >
>
> I believe that Monday, 8/24, is just four days shy of the "Morlan Rule of
> 8/28," so it may have to be Selas. sp. :)
>

Selasphorous hummingbirds were everywhere today. There was at least one at
East Wash and at least three on top of Mt. Davidson, including an immature male
showing wide swatches of solid rufous above the wings on either side of its
green back.

Selasphorous sp. or RUHU?

8.29 [SFBirds] More birds...
Hugh's covered most of the highlights for an _eight_ warbler day in the city
(Orange-crowned Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, YEWA, Townsend's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, MACW, Common Yellowthroat) and that's without either
the Northern Waterthrush at Middle Lake or the Tennessee Warbler which was not to be found at Fort Funston this morning.

Mt. Davidson was a "rainforest" (CL) this morning, but near noon it was good
birding. In particular, there were at least 3 Selasphorous Hummingbirds
present (see previous message), a SWAINSON'S THRUSH and a BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

Fort Funston
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Townsend's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler

Middle Lake
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow Warbler
Swainson's Thrush
Western Tanager
Wilson's Warbler

East Wash
Hermit Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Hutton's Vireo
Black Oystercatcher
Pigeon Guillemot
Bullock's Oriole
Western Wood-Pewee
Common Yellowthroat
MacGillivray's Warbler

Mt. Davidson
Selasphorous Hummingbird
2 Western Wood-Pewee
Swainson's Thrush
Black-headed Grosbeak

8.30 [SFBirds] Migrants and fog
...both in about the same quantities. Nothing exciting today; Middle Lake
was jumping with migrants, best viewed from the little hill above the glade.
McClaren was quiet with the exception of the riparian downhill from the caretakers "cottage".

Middle Lake
Warbling Vireo
Yellow Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Winter Wren
Townsend's Warbler
Western Tanager
Swainson's Thrush

East Wash
Bullock's Oriole
Kobbe and Upton
Lesser Goldfinch

McClaren
Common Yellowthroat
Warbling Vireo
Yellow Warbler
Wilson's Warbler

Cliff House
Wandering Tattler
Black Turnstone
Black Oystercatcher

8.31 [SFBirds] Additional birds
Josiah Clark called in a HOUSE WREN and a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET from the
city. Unfortunately, there was no location attached either report. If I'm not
mistaken, both are fall firsts.

8.31 [SFBirds] Re: first draft, FIRST FALL list
Harry Fuller wrote:
>
> some earlier sightings...had first (juvenile) Western Tanager of fall at
> West Wash on 8/13, also Black headed gROSBEAK and Pine Siskins there that
> day as well.
> Saw first Tattlers and Black Turnstone at Cliff that day
>

Don't think that Wandering Tattler ever left. I have a sighting from 7.18 and a sighting of a Black Turnstone on 8.1

> First Surfbirds at Cliff House on 8/22; at Eash Wash that day: OC Warbler,
> and one at Middle Lake on 8/24
>
> Had two Cassin's Vireo at West Wash on 8/23
>
> Hugh and I and Joost had a Hairy Woodpecker at Middle Lake 8/24
>
> First Sanderlings on Ocean Beach 8/10; first Whimbrel 7/18 (but I saw
> there outside SF before that so theye were probably here as well)
>

Whimbrel may not have left either. Luke's mystery Whimbrel was on or about 6.9 and I had a Whimbrel on 7.12. If they left, it certainly wasn't for long.

Other sightings perhaps of interest:
Western Sandpiper 7.12
Marbled Godwit 7.12
Glaucous-winged Gull 7.23 (coming? going? neither?)
Black-bellied Plover 8.1
Ruddy Turnstone 8.1
Greater Yellowlegs 8.1

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